Mom Answers

I have the same problem. My 4 year old just started being petrified of the wind. This after he watched a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode where the clubhouse blew apart and they had to go find the pieces. This is what my son has told me where he saw stuff 'blow' away. I've tried telling him that it's okay, the wind isn't that strong, it won't blow anything away. He wants us to take everything off our patio and put it in the shed. We live in a place where it's always windy, it's a newer development, trees are litle, so there is little to 'break' the wind. I'm not sure what to do either. I've tried explaining to him, telling him that if something blows away, we'll just buy a bigger, better one. Nothing has worked. I'm hoping he outgrows this soon. Everything was find until this darn Mickey Mouse episode.
Janet

There is a very cool children's CD that teaches children that they have their own " bubble" around them and depending on the mood or activity they can " change" the color of the bubble, but they are always safe in their own space, It helped a lot with my dd who is afraid of fireworks, but now she will be in her own " yellow bubble" and be safe. It is a great way to teach them to meditate and to find their center and be confidant. I found it on Amazon." Bubble Kids" Good Luck :)

Kim, try encouraging him to participate in an outdoor activity that requires wind. Flying a kite, playing with miniature sail boats in a kiddie pool, etc. Really talk the playtime up such as, "I sure hope it is windy tomorrow, I want to go out and fly the new kite. Do you want to go with me to play with the kite?" Let him know that wind is great because it helps the boats go faster, and the kite go higher. Perhaps seeing that wind is needed for certain play activities, he will become less afraid.

I am afraid of the wind too so I know what the terror is like. My strategy for children's fears goes like this: you can't always cure a fear by forcibly exposing a child to it. It might increase that way, if the child is particularly sensitive. But you can convey that you understand and do not ridicule. This works well for my daughter. She is scared of leaves blowing in the wind, so when we are out and she is biking, if there is a leaf in her path, I just kick it out of the way and we move on. She trusts me to do it and I never comment on it. It allowed us to go from not playing outside at all to getting out every day. This worked for me when I got married. I am very afraid of bugs and my husband has never made fun of me. He just gets them out of my way, and since I trust him, I am calmer about the unexpected encounter. I do not think these fears go away easily, but if they can count on us to make them feel safe, that is half the battle won. My daughter used to be terrified of elevators too, so we just avoided them for a while till she had stopped thinking about them, and one day when we had to take one, she held her breath, then looked at us, and when she realized we were just chatting as usual, she has never been freaked out again.

These are all great suggestions but I wonder if there are other sensitivities involved. My son has sensory integration dysfunction and the wind is just one of the many things that bother him. I do hope this is just a phase for your child but if not, do a little web research - there's tons of support out there to help children feel more comfortable in their skin.

My almost 3 year old is also afraid of the wind. I find it very interesting that JanetNewlyWed's son also watched a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode where things blow away. That's the culprit in our case as well. He watched a few episodes now where things blow away and whenever we leave the grocery store, he lays across the groceries so they don't blow away, he lays over my daughter in her carseat carrier so she won't blow away. It's ridiculous. But, I'm not going to discount his fear. I'm just going to try to start explaining that I'm here and I won't let any harm come to him.
Janet, I see you posted 2 years ago. Did your son stop being afraid of wind? Thanks!

Hi,
Your child is probably scared because the wind hits her/his face. If it is winter you might want to give your baby a blanket or a little hood and make shore to put the rain cover over your child's carage.

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